Adjustable pitch and reversible propeller for airplanes and other lighter-than-air ships



S. W. CARTER.

ADJUSTABLE PITCH AND REVERSIBLE PROPELLERFOR AIRPLANES AND OTHER LIGHTER THAN AIR SHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, 1920.

Patented July 5, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 S. W. CARTER.

ADJUSTABLE PITCH-AND REVERSIBLE PROPELLER FOR AIRPLANES AND OTHER LIGHTER THAN AIR SHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, I920. v a 3 1 383 388 Patented July 5, T ail.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Inca/2Z0 JWZ M fia/rter UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL W. CARTER, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

.ADJUSTABLEPITCH AND 'REVERSIIB LE PROPELLER FOR AIRPLANES AND OTHER LIGHTER-THAN-AIR SHIPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 5, 1921.

Application filed November 13, 1920. Serial No. 423,965.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL W. CARTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha, of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Pitch and Reversible Propellers for Airplanes and other Lighter-than-Air Ships, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to. air propellers used in connection with airplanes, and has for its object to provide a propeller of this-character wherein it will be possible to obtain a variable pitch to a forward thrust of the propeller blades, so as to give equal propulsion and efliciency in the atmospheric changes of altitudes. Also to provide means whereby the blades may be set at a neutral.

angle while the planeis gliding for the purpose of landing or for testing the motor before starting a flight.

A further object is to provide an airplane propeller having pivoted ,blades, which blades may be simultaneously moved to any angle desired and movable through rack and gear connections with a yoke, said yoke being slidably mounted on a rectangular shaped portion. of a drive shaft and movable from within the fuselage.

A further object is to provide means adj acent the operators seat for indicating the po- ,sition of the blades.

With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts i as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings, describedand claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is 'a side elevation of a portion of the fuselage adjacent the cock-pit. 4

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the forward end of the fuselage, showing the propeller blade controlling mechanism applied to the propeller shaft.

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the indicating device for indicating the pitch or angle of the propeller blades.

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the fuselage adjacent the pilot seat, showing the controlling mechanism for actuating the propeller moving mechanism.

in the county of Douglas and btate.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the meshing gears carried adjacent the cock-pit and outside of the fuselage through which gears power is transmitted to the propeller controlling mechanism. 7

Fi 6 is a detail sectional view taken on line A of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view through the propeller shaft taken on line B-B of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the forward portion of the fuselage of an airplane, to the sides of which fuselage adjacent the cockpit, a housing 2 is secured in any suitable manner for the reception of mechanism for controlling the propeller blade, said mechanism being hereinafter set forth. Disposed within the housing 2 is a beveled gear 3, which gear is secured to a shaft extending through the side of the fuselage to a point within the cock pit. A beveled gear 4 which is carried by a shaft 5 meshes with the beveled gear 3, said shaft 5 being rotatably mounted in bearings 6' disposed within the housing 2. Shaft 5 is provided with a universal connection 7 to a shaft 8, which shaft 8 forms means for controlling the propeller blades through gear connections. Housing 2 is streamlined as shown in Fig. 4 and is mounted on a base 9, thereby protecting the gears 3 and 4 and its adjacent mechanism and at the same time streamlining said mechanism. The fuselage 1 has deposed within the forward part 10 thereof a conventional form of airplane engine, not shown, and extending from said airplane engine is a specially constructed propeller shaft 11, which shaft is rotatably mounted in a ball thrust bearing 12. The propeller shaft 11 beyond the bearing 12 is rectangular shaped and has secured thereon, against longitudinal movement a flange 13, which flange is bolted to an anchor bar frame 14. The anchor bar frame 14 comprises four bars 14 The propeller'blades 15, the stubs of which are shown are mounted in rectangular shaped casings 16 and firmly secured and held in place by screws 41. Casings 16 are constructed rectangular shaped or in any other form where they will have corners so as to hold the propeller blades from twisting. The adjacent ends of thecasing 16 are provided with gears 17, and adjacent said gears 17 in frames are ball raceways 18. The roller bearings 18 also provide means for taking up the centrifugal force delivered by the rotation of the propeller blades 15 while in action. Secured to the frame 14 are housings 19, which housings inclose two sets of ball bearings 20, and'the thrust ball bearings 18, which are secured to ,anchorbar frame 14. Two additional sets of spherical ball bearings 21 are provided and housed within housings 22, which housings are secured to the frame 14 and act as leverage bearings for the direct bending forces, the propeller blades 15. The propeller blade casings 16 rock within the ball bearings 20 and 21, and on roller bearings 18, when the rack bars 23 and 24 which mesh with gears 17 are moved longitudinally. It will be seen that the rack bars are oppositely disposed in relation to the gears and propellers 17 and 15 and consequently the blades will be oppositely moved for properly positioning the same. The rack bars 23 and 24 are carried by a longitudinally movable frame 25 which is slidably mounted on the propeller shaft 11 and rotatable therewith thereby allowing the propeller blades to be adjusted at any oint during their rotation. The movable f fame 25 is provided with a grooved collar 26, said grooved collar being preferably an integral part of the frame 25 and being provided with a rectangular shaped aperture for the reception of the rectangular shaped propeller shaft 11, said propeller shaft 11 from a point adjacent the frame 25 is round and also round adjacent its outer end and grooved for two keys for the reception of a spacing collar 27 which is provided with flanges which are in turn bolted by means of bolts 28 to flanges 13 and 29 through shoulders on the bars 14 of the anchor bar frame 14.

A bracket 30 is bolted to the bottom half of the crank case of the engine 10, and upon which bracket a worm 31 is supported in bearings 32 and 33. The worm 31 has threaded .thereon a yoke 37 which yoke engages the groove of the collar 26, and is adapted to be moved longitudinally for forcing the frame 25 and the rack bars 23 inwardly and outwardly for adjusting the propeller blades. The worm 31 is threaded through theenlargement 38 of the yoke 37 and it will be seen that as the yoke is rotated that the yoke as a whole will be fed inwardly and outwardly. The shaft 8 is connected to a worm 31 by means of a universal joint 35, and it will be seen that when said shaft 8 is rotated that said worm 31 will also be rotated and that the propellers may be adjusted to various angles at the option of the operator within the cock-pit. The gear 3 is mounted on a shaft 40, which extends through the side of the fuselage into the cock-pit, said shaft being provided with a hand wheel 39 by means of which the shaft and gear 3 may be rotated and with a worm 40 which meshes at this point of- V with a worm 36 carried by a shaft disposed within the cock pit, said shaft being provided with aworm 36 which meshes with a segmentally shaped indicating member 34 by means of which member which cooperates-with a scale 34" the angle or position of the propeller blades may be ascertained at any time by the operator. The propeller shaft is provided with a nut 42 which prevents longitudinal movement of the sleeve 27 and the frame 14 and forms an additional securing means in connection with the keys and the bolts 28.

From the above it will be seen that adjustable propeller blades are provided for an airplane, which blades maybe adjusted to various angles by the operator, from a point within the cock-pit of the machine thereby allowing the operator to more thoroughly control the airplane at various altitudes, when gliding incident to landing or'when it is desired to operate the engine while the machine is on the ground and at the same time so position the propeller blades that the machine will not move on the ground or rlse.

The invention having been set forth what is claimed as new and useful is 1. The combination with an airplane having a propeller drive shaft, of adjustable propeller blades therefor, said adjustable propeller blades comprising a frame rigidly secured to the propeller shaft, a portion of said propeller shaft between the frame and the fuselage being rectangular shaped, propeller blades carried by said frame, said propeller blades having their inner ends rotatably mounted in spaced antifrictional bearings carried by the frame, the inner ends of said propeller blades being provided with gears, a frame slidably mounted on the rectangular portion of the propeller shaft, rack bars carried by said frame and meshing with the gears on the propeller shafts, and means for moving the slidable frame carried by the rectangular shaped portion of the propeller shaft from a point within the cock-pit.

2. The ,combination with an airplane having a propeller drive shaft, of adjustable propeller blades therefor, said adjustable propeller blades being supported in a frame rigidly secured to the propeller shaft of the airplane, said propeller shaft being provided with a rectangular portion having a frame slidably mounted thereon, the inner ends of the propeller blades being mounted in spaced anti-frictional bearings, gears carried by the inner ends of said blades, rack bars carried by the frame mounted on the rectangular portion of the propeller shaft and meshing with said gears carried by the propeller blades, a worm disposed in parallel relation to the prop tably mounted in bearings, a yoke threaded eller shaft and rotaon said worm and Cooperatingwith the frame carried by the rectangular shaped signature in presence of two witnesses. portion of the propeller shaft and means for SAMUEL W. CARTER. rotating said worm from a point within the Witnesses:-

5 cook-pit of the fuselage when it is desired to HIRAM A. Smons,

vary the angle of the propeller blades. ARTHUR H. ST'URGEB.

In testimony whereof, I have aflixed my 

